“Two and a Half Men” premiered its ninth season Monday night without its biggest star after his much publicized meltdown led to his much publicized dismissal.

In the much-hyped episode, Sheen’s character is killed off, mourned for a few minutes, and cremated. As his brother Alan, played by Jon Cryer, receives his ashes, Kutcher suddenly appears at a sliding glass door, causing Cryer to toss Sheen’s ashes into the air in surprise.

Kutcher plays a billionaire named Walden Schmidt who just tried to commit suicide because of a failed relationship. He needs a new start, Alan needs someone to buy the house because he can’t afford it without Charlie…

And the sit-com lead character hand-off is complete.

They did it on “M*A*S*H” a few times and it worked. They did it on “Three’s Company” a couple of times, and that show kept going, too.

aboutthis blog

The FOX411 Blog is your first call for celebrity and entertainment news. FOX411 brings you the latest scoops using FOX’s unmatched reach in news, entertainment, TV and the Internet. Click on back now, ya hear?